Over 100 protesters gather outside Chiang Mai US Consulate calling for end to US-Iran war

At around 10.30am this morning, more than 100 Thai and American members of the CNX4PEACE group and supporters gathered outside the new United States Consulate on the Chiang Mai–Lampang Super Highway in Nong Pa Khrang, to protest the ongoing war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran and call for an immediate ceasefire. Police and relevant officials were present throughout to ensure the demonstration remained orderly. The protest was peaceful and friendly.

Demonstrators held signs bearing anti-war messages and chanted calls to end the conflict, with the message “We want peace, not war” repeated throughout the gathering.

Brooke, a Thai-American organiser of the demonstration, addressed the crowd as both a dual citizen and a mother. “I do not want my children to grow up in a world of illegal wars, constant killing, power hungry grabs, with no regard for lives lost, where you can operate above the law, and disrespect other nations,” she said. “This is not the America I hoped for when I became a citizen in 2008. This is NOT what the American people voted for either.”

Brooke said she was ashamed to be American at this moment and saddened by the impact of the crisis on Thailand’s economy and people. She was also careful to extend her criticism beyond Washington. “I am appalled by the atrocities committed by the Iranian government against its own people,” she said. “I think it’s very important to stand up for a better and more peaceful future than this.”

A Thai representative of the group delivered a formal statement to the press. It read in part:

“CNX4PEACE is made up of Americans, Thais and peace-loving citizens from many countries, united by a shared desire to promote peace. We stand in solidarity with a global movement taking place simultaneously today, with millions of concerned citizens participating from over 3,000 locations worldwide. We call on the United States government to end the abuse of its power and to uphold the democratic principles upon which America was founded over 250 years ago.”

The statement went on to say that the war against Iran had been launched without legal justification — without congressional authorisation, without consideration of global consequences, without clear public explanation and without defined objectives. “This is undermining the United States’ reputation as a nation committed to democratic values,” it read, adding that American military and economic resources were instead being wielded in the manner of an aggressor operating on the principle that might makes right — behaviour the group described as imperialist in character and dangerous as a precedent.

On the economic stakes, the statement warned that if the conflict were to continue and oil prices kept rising, the world could face a global recession, deepening hardship for hundreds of millions already living in poverty — including in Thailand, a longstanding US ally. “We express our profound regret at the direction the United States has taken,” it said.

The group concluded by calling on the US government to abandon policies that prioritise killing, bombing, invasion and violations of international law over peaceful negotiation and diplomatic resolution, and urged governments worldwide to pursue peace and consensus so that the human rights of all people may be genuinely upheld.

After the demonstration concluded, officers from Mae Ping Police Station monitored the situation closely throughout. The group dispersed without incident.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​